A. Domain Name Disputes

There is really no such thing as a domain name dispute, because each domain name is unique—different from every other domain name. What's known as domain name dispute is always a wrangle between a domain name registrant and the owner of a trademark with which the domain name allegedly conflicts. Throughout this book we have provided guidance on how these types of disputes are likely to be resolved under general trademark principles and the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act of 1999. Additional guidance is sure to come from the administrative procedure recently established by ICANN (described in Chapter 5, Section D2). Under that procedure, each dispute resolution provider's decisions must be posted on the provider's website. Also, most likely, ICANN will aggregate the decisions of all providers and post them in one location on the ICANN website. By browsing these decisions, you will be able to get a real-world feel for what might happen in your particular dispute. You can also consult Section D and Section E, below, which discuss how to research trademark law and keep up to date on developments in trademark law and domain names.